Water cuts affecting food hawkers

KAJANG: Despite more people arriving here for the Mar 23 by-election, traders selling food and drinks are not making money because of the water shortage.

One of them, Arif Wahab, lamented that the water rationing was forcing him to close his kitchen earlier.

“Since I don’t have running water anymore, I can’t sell anything that needs cooking. I can only sell coconut water, cincau and canned drinks. My profit has dropped by almost 70% since two weeks ago because of the water disruption,” said the 56-year-old trader.

Arif, who sold fried noodles, kueh and other food items behind a charted taxi stand, said although there were many outsiders, he could not take advantage of their arrivals due to the water shortage.

“We appeal to the authorities to act quickly to help us resolve this water problem. How long can small businesses survive without running water,” he said yesterday.

Hawker Ah Meng, who sells coconut and sugar cane juice at Jalan Sulaiman, said his sales had also dropped since he recently increased the price of his drinks.

“I have no choice but to increase the price as the coconut and sugar cane are costing more now. Many of my customers complain and they buy less now,” he said.

Ah Meng said while many would think that the hot weather will help businesses like his, it was actually the opposite.

“When the weather is too hot, people will not come out of the house. I do more business when the weather is average,” he said, adding that the additional crowd in town has not contributed to a better business for him.

Chinese medicine shop assistant Low Mei Yong, however, said the hot weather had helped her business as more people came to the shop to buy herbal tea such as chrysanthemum tea, lo han quo (a kind fruit that is boiled into cooling drinks) and other herbs.

She said they were not preparing or expecting more sales due to the by-election as most of their customers were regulars.